Engine-starter for automobiles and the like.



J. W. MOORE. ENGINE STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZG, 1914. l l ll PatentedJune 8, 1915.

9 g 2 SHEETSSHEET 1- Attorneys J. W. MOORE.

ENGINE STARTER FOR AUTOMOBTLES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26,1914.

1,142.1 91, Patented June 8, 1915. 21 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventor neys IINITED STATES FATEN E @FFKQE.

JOHN W. MOORE, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

ENGINE-STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Enginestarter for Automobiles and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engine starters especially designed for use in connection with automobiles, one of the objects being to provide a simple, durable and compact structure formed of comparatively few parts and which is designed to be connected to the crank shaft in front of the engine and which, upon the actuation of a lever or other operating element,will impart an initial rotation to the engine shaft, the return of the parts toward their initial positions operating to uncouple the starting mechanism from the shaft so that said shaft will run freely and without noise within the starter.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of whatis claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of the starter, the parts being shown in the positions occupied thereby during the beginning of the starting movement. Fig. 2 is -a front elevation of the starter and showing the positions assumed by the parts upon the completion of the starting movement. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the starter and showing the positions assumedby the parts after the motor has been started and while the shaft is running freely and noiselessly. Fig. 4 is a section on line AB Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line O-D Fig. 4, the cam and its arm, being shown entirely in elevation and the parts being in the positions assumed thereby when the cam is arranged'as in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5' butshowing the positions assumed by the parts when the sta ter has been moved to the position indi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenteddune 8, 11915.

Application filed .1 11116 26, 1914. Serial 1%. 847,479;

cated in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the dog carrying lever. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the dog. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the segmental arm and its disk.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the engine shaft, the same being secured to a cylindrical head 2 one end of which is formed with'a boss 3 from which extends a concentric stem 4. A flange 5'is formed on or secured to the head 2 and-is concentric with the boss, this flange being formed with ratchet teeth 6 upon the inner face thereof.

A sleeve 7 is mounted for rotation of the stem 4 andis surrounded by an integral disk or plate 8 the diameter of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the head 2, this. disk being formed with an annular flange 9 designed to bear against the flange 5. Pins 10 extend from the disk 8 and toward the head 2 and mounted on each of these pins is a dog 11 one end of which is designed to engage one of the ratchet teeth 6 while the other end thereof is connected, by a spring 12, to a ring 13 mounted for rotation on the inwardly projecting portion of the sleeve 7. Ring 13 is provided at diametrically opposed points with cam-shaped extensions 14 normally positioned close to the dogs 11 without, however, interfering with the operation of the dogs. An arm 15 extends from the ring 13 and through a recess 16 formed in flange 9,the outer or projecting end of the arm 15 being provided, at one side, with a lip 17. This lip extends across one side of an arm 18 extending from the disk 8. A spring 19 is seated in the arm 18 and bears outwardly against lip 17, thus to hold the lip normally spaced from arm 18. A segmental extension 20 is provided at the outer end of arm 18 and has a channel 21 in its outer face within which may be secured an actuating element 22 located within convenient reach of the chaufieur. A spring 23 is connected to extension 20 for holding it normally in one position.

A lever 24 is pivotally mounted on the arm 18 and is provided, at its free end, with an angular finger 25 extending laterally and inwardly from the lever and lapping the lip 17. A substantially triangular dog 26 forming noses 28 and 29 respectively. The nose 29 has its inner side cut away, as at 30, thus to form a rounded surface 31.

A stationary disk 32 is adapted to be se cured in any suitable manner to the chassis or some other fixed portion of the vehicle, the stem 4 and sleeve 7 being mounted for rotation within the disk. An arcuate ratchet bar 33 is secured to the disk 32 and is prom vided, at one end with a stop projection 34 located in the path of the dog 26. This ratchet bar is so positioned that the nose 29 will slip over the teeth of the bar while the rounded portion 31 of the dog is free to travel along the periphery of the disk 32. Said disk has a shoulder 35 formed in its periphery at that end of the series of ratchet teeth remote from the stop projection 34, a recess 36 being provided adjacent the shoulder so that, when'th'e dog 26 is brought above the recess and out of engagement with the ratchet teeth, it will be free to swing downwardly with its lower face 27 substantially horizontal.

A retaining collar 37 is mounted on the free end of the stem 4 and is secured thereto by means of a pin 38 or in any other suitable manner, this collar serving to prevent the various parts of the starter from becoming so separated.

The dog 26, when in its normal'position, is suspended above the recess 36 and out of engagement with the ratchet bar 33. The dogs 11 are at the same time in engagement with certain of the ratchet teeth 6. Thus when it is desired to start the motor, arm 18 is shifted by means of the mechanism provided for that purpose, spring 23 being placed under tension. As the dogs 11 are connected to the disk 8 from which arm 18 extends, it will be apparent that the head 2 and shaft 1 will thus be rotated, the dogs 11 pulling, through the springs 12, upon the ring 13 so that the arm 15 will follow the arm 18 in its movement. When the dog 26 comes against the stop projection 34, the engine will have started and head 2 will thus be caused to rotate with the shaft 1, the ratchet teeth 6 slipping past the dogs 11.

As soon as the clicking sound thus produced will indicate that the motor has started, the operator releases arm 18 and spring 23 pulls back upon the arm 18. Consequently, the nose 29 and dog 26 which is in engagement with the end tooth of the ratchet bar will be pressed backwardly so as to cause lever 24 to swing upon its pivot. The finger 25 will thus press against lip 17 and place the spring 19 under compression. This movement of 30 lip 17 will be suflicient to partly rotate the ring 13 and bring the cams 12 into position between the adjacent ends of the dogs 11, thus holding the dogs out of engagement with the teeth 6 and permitting the head 5 to rotate freely and without producing any noise. As the nose 29 is being drawn back to actuate the arm 15 and the cams 14, the straight edge or shoe of the dog 26 will assume a position upon the periphery of the disk 32, as shown in Fig. 3. During the 76 completion of the return movement of the arm 18 under the action of spring 23, arm

18 is pulled to the position shown in Fig. 3, until the dog 26 is moved out of engagement with the ratchet bar 33 and the nose 29 has been shifted to position above the recess 36. Said nose will then move downwardly by gravity into therecess so that, when arm 18 is moved to the right, in Fig. 3, the nose 29 will hit the shoulder 35. This will result in 80 tilting the dog 26 and causing it to ride over the teeth of the ratchet bar 33, as shown in Fig. 1. The operation hereinbefore described can then be repeated.

What is claimed is I 1. The combination with a stem for attachment to the shaft of a motor, of an annular ratchet revoluble with the stem, a revoluble actuating element, a dog carried thereby and normally engaging the ratchet to rotate the stem and shaft in one direction with the actuating element, means for disengaging and holding said dog from the ratchet, a spring connection between said means and the dog for holding the dog in normal position, a fixed element, and means upon the actuating element and cotiperating with the fixed element for shifting said dog disengaging means when the movement of the actuating element is reversed.

2. The combination with an annular ratchet for attachment to and rotation with the shaft of a motor, of a revoluble actuating element, a dog carried thereby and normally engaging the ratchet to rotate the shaft in one direction with the. actuating element, a revoluble cam for disengaging and holding said dog from the ratchet, a spring connection between the cam and dog for-holding the dog normally inengage- 1m ment with the "ratchet, a fixed element, and means upon the actuating element and cooperating with the fixed element for shifting said cam when the movement of the actuating element is reversed.

3. The combination with an annular ratchet for attachment to and rotation with the shaft of a motor, of a revoluble actuating element, a dog carried thereby and normally engaging the ratchet to rotate the shaft in one direction with the actuating element, means for disengaging and holding said dog from the ratchet, a fixed ratchet, and means upon the actuating element and coiiperating with the fixed ratchet for shifting said dog disengaging means when the movement of the actuating element is reversed, said means on the actuating element including a lever, a dog pivot ally mounted on the lever and adapted to 139 slip over the fixed ratchet when moving with the actuating element during the actuation of the shaft, and to be rocked out of engagement. with the teeth of the fixed ratchet during the reverse movement of the actuating element, said dog when rocked, constituting means for shifting the lever relative to the actuating element and hold ing it in shifted position, and means upon the lever for transmitting motion to the dog disengaging means.

4. The combination with a fixed ratchet bar, an annular ratchet for rotation with the shaft of a motor, and an actuating elementmounted for oscillation, of a dog carried by the actuating element and normally engaging the annular ratchet to rotate said ratchet and the shaft in one direction with the actuating element, a cam, an arm extending therefrom, a lever pivoted upon the actuating element, an extension on the lever and normally lapping said arm, a resilient spacing element between the actuating element and the arm, a dog pivotally connected to the lever and adapted to slip over the fixed ratchet bar during the movement of the actuating element while starting the motor, said ratchet bar constituting means for tilting the dog out of engagement with the teeth thereof when the actuating element is started on its reverse movement, said dog, when tilted, constituting means for shifting the lever to actuate the arm and .cam thereby to disengage the dog from the annular ratchet.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. MOORE. Witnesses P. H. PILOHARD, L'F. HILL. 

